Apparatus for delivering measured volumetric quantities of granular, pulverulent and like fluent solid materials



June 26, 1956 M. LOCKER 2,752,076

APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING MEASUKED VOLUMEITRIC QUANTITIES OF GRANULAR, PULVEIRULENT AND LIKE FLUEZNT sous MATERIALS Filed Nov. 27, 1953 United States PatentU APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING 'IVIEASURED VOL- UMETRIC QUANTITIES OF GRANULAR, P-UL- VERULENT AND LIKE FLUENT;SOL1D MA- 5 TERIALS Claims priority, application Great 'Britain November 29, 1952 4 Claims. (Cl. 222-455) This invention relates to apparatus for delivering measured volumetric quantifies of granular, pulverulent and like fluent solid materials, with particular reference to that type of apparatus in which a nozzle or pourer adapted to form a detachable cover for a jar or other container is provided internally with a measuring cup opening towards the inlet end of the nozzle, such inlet end having an annular baffle with a central spout the outlet end of which is directed into said cup and extends at least near to or beyond the plane in which the peripheral edge of the cup lies.

On inversion of a jar or other container provided with ,a measuring apparatus of the type aforesaid, it is intended that fluent solid material from within the container shall fill the measuring cup to the level of its peripheral edge (which usually will be the level of the inverted spout), subsequent movement of the container towards its normal position allowing the measured quantity of material which has fallen into the cup to empty itself onto the said annular baffle around the spout ready for delivery out of the nozzle at the next inversion of the container.

To allow free escape of the material from the measuring cup on to the baffle during the return movement of the inverted container, it is known practice to provide such cup with well-spaced integral legs by means of which it is supported at a suitable distance from the baffle and spout aforesaid.

It is also known to produce the nozzle, spout, and measuring cup as separate components to facilitate periodical cleaning of the apparatus, but experience has shown that when such components are produced as plastic mouldings (which is desirable in the interests of appearance and freedom from corrosion) and the legs of the measuring cup are arranged to clip on to the spout or on to an adjacent part of the baffle, any slight inaccuracies in manufacture, or subsequent damage due to 50 careless handling of the components concerned, will often prevent their being assembled or re-assembled together in a secure manner, and sometimes results in the said legs being broken olf.

The object of the present invention is an improved arrangement of the spout and measuring cup which permits of these components being formed as plastic mouldings whose individual construction and manner of interengagement is exceedingly simple and robust as compared with known apparatus for the same purpose. 60

According to this invention, in a measuring apparatus of the type referred to and wherein the annular baffle is adapted to be secured in position by engagement of its outer periphery between the nozzle and the associated container, the measuring cup is integrally united to the baffle through the medium of relatively rigid legs, the spout having marginal formations adapted to be engaged between the baffle and the container.

Preferably the spout is produced with a circumferential flange which forms part of the baffle and which has angularly spaced marginal lugs adapted to enter recesses in another part of the baffle connecting the cup legs,

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invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan of a part of the measuring cup, baffle and spout, where they adjoin;

Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of the parts shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the two lower components (measuring cup and spout) of the apparatus separated one from the other.

In the construction illustrated, the upper or outer part of the assembly, namely the nozzle 5, has a plasticmoulded body 6 of conical or other tapering form with an integral cylindrical portion 7 at its larger end adapted to embrace the edge of a jar or'other container indicated in broken lines at 8. Preferably, this attachment portion 7 is screw-threaded at 9 as shown, but may be otherwise formed internally for connection to the appropriately-shaped container 8, and it may have external ribs or like formations 10 for use as finger grips to facilitate the screwing of the nozzle 5 on to and 01f the container.

For association with the lower or inlet end of this nozzle there is provided a separate annular baffle member 11, also of a plastic-moulded construction and whose outer periphery is adapted to be engaged between the top end or edge of the container 8 and an internal circumferential shoulder 12 in the nozzle 5, such shoulder being located at or adjacent the juncture of the aforementioned conical and cylindrical parts of the nozzle.

This baffle member 11 has a flange 13 around its outer edge, preferably a shallow flange, and its inner edge has an oppositely-directed lip 14 which is rebated at 15 to receive a complementary formation 16 around the periphery of a second annular baffle member 17, this latter being plastic-moulded integrally with a cylindroconical spout 18 which is co-axial with the nozzle 5 when the apparatus is assembled.

Under these conditions corresponding faces of the two baffle members 11, 17, lie flush with one another in a plane perpendicular to the axis aforesaid, and preferably the rebated edge 15 of the inner member 17 has a lip 19 similar to the lip 14 on the outer member 11, those lips 14, 19, being radiused so that, when interengaged as aforesaid, they collectively provide a half-round rib or head adapted to lie within, or concentric with, the mouth of the container 8 when the apparatus is in position thereon. Conveniently the spout outlet 20 and the nozzle outlet 21 are both of circular profile and they may be of equal area. In the construction illustrated, based on an actual embodiment of the invention, the outlet 20 in the spout is very slightly larger than the outlet 21 in the nozzle.

It will be seen more especially from Fig. 1 that the parts 11 and 17 together form an apertured baffle, restrictive of the re-entry of any materials back into the container.

Integrally united with the inner edge of the outer baffle member 11 is a round-ended, inverted-conical cup 22 of a pre-selected capacity, disposed co-axially of the nozzle 5 when assembled, the spout 18 being directed into this cup and extending at least to the latters peripheral plane, as shown, which latter is preferably perpendicular to the nozzle axis.

The overall diameter of this measuring cup 22, at its widest part, is substantially greater than (say, three times) that of the spout outlet 20 and its peripheral edge is joined integrally to the outer baffle member 11 by 0 means of three angularly spaced inclined legs 23. These legs are inclined at an angle more steep than that of the in thickness downwards, the lowerends being of equal thickness with the adjacent part of the outer baffle member 11. The legs could however be of uniform thickneslsifdsiredf 7' w These legs 23, in the case of a measuring cup'designed to hold a tablespoonful ofmaterial, may be approximately inch wide by 1 inch minimum thickness so that they are exceptionally robust as compared with the resilient legs hitherto provided, quite apart from the fact that, as compared with the previously known free-ended legs, the legs in the present construction are rigidly held at both ends;

At the junction of each leg 23 with the outer baffle member 11, the latter is thickened radially to permit the formation therein, at the side remote from the cup 22, of a radial recess 24 adapted to receive a complementary marginal lug 25 extending radially from the outer edge of the inner baffle member 17. It will be seen from Fig. 1 that the tops of these thickened portions of the member 11 are flush with the edge of the peripheral flange 13 aforesaid.

Each such lug 25, which at its outer end may be of about the same cross-sectional area as one of the cup legs 23 and which preferably tapers in width toward its outer end as shown in Fig. 4, fits snugly in the associated recess 24 and may be formed with a transverse half-round bead 26 adapted for continuity with the sectional head 19, above-mentioned.

It will be'appreciated that when the spout and cup mouldings are fitted together and placed within the nozzle 5, the act of securing the latter to the container 8 automatically secures all three components in their designed relation, the spout lugs 25 being engaged between the outer or cup-bearing baffle member 11 and the edge of the container 8. However the three components are made tofit together tightly, so as normally to hold together as a composite unit.

The ready separability of the three components, by pushing or pulling them apart with the fingers, facilitates cleaning of the apparatus and also permits the use of alternative cups 22; for example an outer baffle member 11 with a cup proportioned to measure one tablespoonful may be replaceable by one with a shallower cup having a capacity of one teaspoonful, and so on.

In'operation, the cup 22 is initially empty, as also is the annular space above the combined baffle 11, 17. On first inverting the container, contents therefrom flow into and fill the cup 22 which, when full impedes any further flow, so that nothing escapes from the final outlet 21. On returning the container to its uprighted position, most of the contents of the cup 22 fall on to the baffles 11, 17 and arev retained thereon as a measured amount. When the container is again inverted, the measured 4 a quantity of material on the baffles 11, 17 is poured out at the outlet 21, whilst at the same time the cup 22 is again filled from within the container.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, acontainer with exteriorly screwed mouth, an open-ended conical pouring nozzle shaped at its larger end to screw onto the mouthjof the container,

said nozzle having an inner shoulder near its said larger end, a baffle member comprising separate inner and outer closely fitting concentric parts, the inner part having an integral upstanding conical outlet, said outer part having an integral inverted conical measuring cup connected to it by spaced legs or struts holding it in spaced relationship away from the baffle and open end of the conical nozzle with its inneropen end adjacent the said conical outlet and its outer end opposite the nozzle outlet, the outer pait of the baffle fitting against the said inner shoulder in the nozzle and extending over the wall of the container mouth. V V

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the outer part of the baffle has radially disposed recesses in its under face and the inner part of the baffle has radial projections fitting in said'recesses, the recesses and projections lying opposite the said legs or struts respectively.

3. A pouring attachment for a container for granular material comprising a round-nosed conical measuring cup, integral extensions on the open end of said cup, an annular member integral with said extensions and with an outer peripheral flange, said member having radial recesses in its under face, an inner pourer having a peripheral annular portion which is a press fit into the annular member on the measuring cup, with radial extensions to fill said radial recesses, and having a conical portion with open end co-planar with the open end of the said measuring cup, and a conical outer pourer which is a press fit on the annular member on the measuring cup, said outer member having an inner shoulder to abut such annular portion and having an internally-screwed mouth for attachment to the container.

4. 'A pouring attachment according to claim 3, wherein the extensions on the conical measuring cup are at a steeper angle than the sides of the cup, wherein the annular member on the cup is thickened to the thickness of its peripheral flange'where it has the said radial recesses and wherein the close-fitting annular parts have complementary peripheral thickness together forming an annular rib.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,642,678 Horvath Sept. 20, 1927 1,938,100 Gessler Dec. 5, 1933 2,631,758 Gessler Mar. 17, 1953 

